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The article discusses the Kishor Vaigyanic Protsahan Yojana (KVPY), administered by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), ceasing to exit from 2022. Topics include the growth and popularity of KVPY from the very beginning; reasons behind such a whimsical decision, and various reputed undergraduate science programs such as at IISc and IISERs.

The pathogenesis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is associated with its ability to survive inside the human host and the bacteria use a variety of mechanism to evade the host's defence. A clearer understanding of the host-pathogen interaction is needed to follow the pathogenicity and virulence. Recent advances in the study of inter and intra-cellular communication in bacteria had prompted us to study the role of quorum sensing in bacterial survival and pathogenicity. The cell-cell communication in bacteria (quorum sensing) is mediated through the exchange of small molecules called as autoinducers that allow bacteria to modulate their gene expression in response to change in cellpopulation density. It is a coordinated response that confers multicellularity to a bacterial population in response to stress from external environment. Quorum sensing molecules are the global regulators and regulate a wide range of physiological processes including biofilm formation, motility, cell differentiation, long-term survival and many others. Many bacterial pathogens require quorum sensing to produce the virulence factors in response to host-pathogen interaction. Here, we summarize our current understanding on small molecule signalling and their role in the bacterial persistence. New discoveries in these areas have enriched our knowledge on intracellular signalling and their role in the long-term survival of mycobacteria under nutrient starvation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the author discusses the challenges encountered following the initiation of the Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY) by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) in India. It notes that KVPY opens fellowships for medical and engineering students who have the ability to design an original research project based on science. It points out that it increases the number of examination centres across the country.

The proximate aim of this review is to investigate the specific interaction between two macromolecules, either two complementary strands of DNA or the binding of DNA with a protein. Although a lot of experiments have been done to address these issues, our aim here is different. We either create a dense brush of DNA chains at the air-water interface or orient a large protein, like RNA polymerase, such that they are amenable for specific interaction at the surface. The advantage of our system is that the macromolecules are stretched, oriented parallel to each other, and their concentrations can be made similar to these encountered in real nuclei. In this way we plan to construct an 'artificial nucleus'. Other methods adopted so far can check for the possibility of collective behaviour and the effect of chain elongation or compaction. We have used Langmuir-Blodgett technique for the same and extensively performed FTIR and AFM experiments to monitor the L-B surface. Each macromolecule has been attached by one of its extremities to a hydrophobic buoy to keep it at the interface. Detailed thermodynamic analysis results in some interesting conclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on online teaching is a hot topic of discussion in print and visual media. Topics include the arguments in favour highlight the necessity to engage kids in meaningful, constructive ways to avoid the colossal waste of their precious time otherwise, and growing up in Covid situation means no outdoor activities, spending the whole day in limited, defined space mostly with elders.

The author comments on the challenges being faced by college administrators in India on budget spending. He explains that the process for spending the budget for campus development or purchase of equipment must go through certain rules and controls. He calls on financial experts to modify the rule of annual submission of the utilization certificate which is necessary in claiming release of funds. He emphasizes that institutions are seemed to be in a hurry to spend their budget.

The article presents information on the augmentation of teaching biology at the undergraduate level in Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) along with other core subjects and informs that due to immense challenge and potential, engineering graduates are opting for research in biology.

A response to a letter to the editor about a news item in "The Hindu" in the September 11, 2010 issue regarding the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) is presented.